The Creative Impulse

“Man must be doing something, or fancy that he is doing something, for in him throbs the creative impulse; the mere basker in the sunshine is not a natural, but an abnormal man (Henry George).”

I find it fascinating that the most structured night of the Jewish calendar is also the most creative. We have exact instructions as to what to do at each step of the Pesach Seder, and yet, every single one of those steps and instructions stimulates the most creative and vibrant discussions. It’s as if the Seder, the structure, nurtures the creative impulse.

People often ask how can we celebrate being freed from the Egyptian slavery when all that happened was that we were called into a very structured and demanding relationship with an even Higher Authority, God?

The Seder is the response to that question. The only purpose of this structure, of the laws, of the numerous instructions, the Seder, is to nurture our creative impulse.

I am convinced that this is the true meaning of the first step of the Seder; Kaddeish, or Sanctification. The sanctity of our actions is derived not from the robotic following of the instructions, but from their expansion through our creative questions and insights.

[…] structure within which we can be creative and act with free choice. (“Fifteen Steps-Shelah,” “The Creative Impulse,” “Order! Order!”). Kadeish: Thank You for empowering us to Sanctify this world, our actions, […]